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“As businesses continue to struggle with how to handle information security threats, there is an urgent need for professionals with the technical and managerial skills to protect national and business interests.”

David Murray, Associate Professor of Management Science and Systems

University at Buffalo School of Management

BUFFALO, N.Y. — During the 2015 University at Buffalo
GenCyber Camp, teenagers with a penchant for technology learned to
create websites, build a computer network and defend it from a
simulated attack.

GenCyber was a free, weeklong cybersecurity summer camp for
children aged 13-17, held July 6-10 at the University at Buffalo.
The camp introduced bright young students to cybersecurity as a
future career option.

“As businesses continue to struggle with how to handle
information security threats, there is an urgent need for
professionals with the technical and managerial skills to protect
national and business interests,” says David Murray,
associate professor of management science and systems in the UB
School of Management.

Each day, a capacity crowd of 36 students from 24 area schools
participated in hands-on activities to learn about a wide range of
cybersecurity topics.

The campers heard presentations from industry professionals,
built a computer network using credit-card-sized Raspberry Pi
computers and defended the network from a simulated
cyberattack.

They even learned about firewalls, denial-of-service attacks,
phishing and other computer security concepts from mimes.

Students who successfully completed the camp received a
certificate of achievement at an awards presentation Friday
afternoon.

GenCyber was presented by the UB School of Management, the UB
Department of Computer Science and Engineering, the UB School of
Engineering and Applied Sciences, and the UB Center of Excellence
in Information Systems Assurance Research and Education (CEISARE),
with sponsorship from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the
National Security Agency (NSA) and Time Warner Cable.

UB’s camp was one of 43 GenCyber camps being held across
the country funded by the NSA and NSF this year. The organizations
aim to have 200 camps nationwide by 2020.

Also, Chase Crafts of Niagara Academy; Molly Crandall and Dylan
Loliger of Niagara Wheatfield High School; Henry Chugh of North
High School; Rachel Hamilton of Rush Henrietta Senior High School;
Jaydah Robertson of Sweet Home High School; Katarina Sako of
Tapestry Charter School; Daniel McMurray of Westfield Academy and
Central School; Sharan Prasad, Elizabeth Gu, Morris Lee and Shreyas
Prasad of Williamsville East High School; Andrew Salem, Joshua
Bloom and Robert Mentkowski of Williamsville North High School; and
Noah Trillizio and Sean Manly of Williamsville South High School.

The UB School of Management is recognized for its emphasis on
real-world learning, community and economic impact, and the global
perspective of its faculty, students and alumni. The school also
has been ranked by Bloomberg Businessweek, the Financial Times,
Forbes and U.S. News & World Report for the quality of its
programs and the return on investment it provides its graduates.
For more information about the UB School of Management,
visit mgt.buffalo.edu.